Detachable brush-guard for carpet-sweepers.



J. M. SPANGLBR. DETAOHABLE BRUSH GUARD FOB CARPET SWEEPEBS.

` APPLICATION PILED AUG. 11, 1910.

l 974,304, L Patented Nov. 1, 1910.`

n "Imm altamente construction being shown JAMES M. SPANGLER, OF CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR COMPANY, OF NEW BERLIN,

T0 THE HOOVER SUCTION SWEEPER OHIO, A CORPORATION `OF OHIO.

DETACHABLE BRUSH-GUARD FOR CARPET-SWEEPERS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 11, 1910.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910. serial No. 576,666.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known thatV I, JAMES M. SPANGLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Detachable Brush-Guard for Carpet-Sweepers,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to attachments for carpet sweepers and consists of a guard for the brush of s'aid sweepers, said guard being readil detachable from the ,sweeper and being a apted, when applied, to prevent carpets,-rugs, the corners and edges of rugs and other floor coverings from being drawn up too far into the brush mechanism and to perform other useful functions as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The invention is especially applicable to that class of c'arpet sweepers wherein air is drawn into the swee er adjacent the brush for the purpose of li ting the dust and dirt and more thoroughly cleaning the rug. .[lhere are at present a lnumber of practical applications of this combination of brushinlg an pneumatic cleaning, an example of suc in applicants United States Patent No. 889,823, issued June 2, 1908.

In the more successful carpet sweepers employing .both brushing and pneumatic cleaning means it has been found desirable to 4provide means for causing anl inrush of airy of considerable force. AWith a. forceful inrush of this kind considerable annoyance has been given by reason of the fact that the corners and edges of rugs and other iioor coverings are frequently drawn up within the carpet sweeper and into engagement with the brushing and other mechanism therein contained, thus both injuring the carpet sweeper andits mechanism and also doing more or less damage to the floor coverings. Moreover when vportions of the floor covering are thus drawn within the sweeper the said sweeper cannot properly perform its work and it therefore becomes essential to successful operation of the device that some means be provided for preventing said floor coverings from being" drawn within the `sweeper and for holding said coverings in proper position. for the sweeper to do thoroug sweeping and cleaning. A

The objects of my invention are to generally increase the effectiveness of carpet sweepers by providing a suitable attachment brush guard embodying mty of the character described and to rovide a detachable brush guard which wil be simple in construction, cheaply manufactured, readily connected or detached from the sweeper, and fully capable of thoroughly accomplishin its purpose. These objects, together with other objects readily apparent to those skilled in the art, I attain by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, although my invention may be embodied in other forms, the construction illustrated being chosen by way of example.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inverted brushin -pneumatic carpet sweeper provided wit a detachable invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view o the brush guard showin certain adjustmentsk of parts -by dotted ines. Fig. .3 is a fra entary sectlonal view upon a vertical p ane showing the brushing portion of such a carpet sweeper as illustrated in Fig. l, a brush guard ofmy invention being included and the sweeper in operative position upon a carpeted fioor.

Throughout the several views similar reference numerals indicate similar parts.

The numeral 1 indicates the u per or top portion of the carpet sweeper caslng and the numeral 2 the handle yoke to which the handle is connected. The sweeper is provided with a bottom 3 and with an air and dust discharge pipe 4. An electrically operated fan or other air drawing means is arranged within the casing l, said means being adapted to forcibly draw air in through the brush openin 5 in the bottom 3 and discharge the same t rough the pipe 4 into a dust receiving means.

The details of'construction of the parts just named is not claimed herein and need not be more fully described. i

The sweeper is mounted upon suitable wheels 6 and casters 7 adapted to permit the sweeper to be easily moved about upon the floor and also adapted to hold the bottom 3 in spaced relation to said floor. Within ,the casing at the brush opening 5 is a rotatable brush 8 having its axis horizontally disposed, the bristles of said brush protruding through the opening 5 a sufficient distance to extend an eighth of an inch, more or less, below the general plane of the bottom 3. Suitable drivingmeans for the brush is provided, as for instance the belt 9 which is operatively connected with the mechanism on the inside of the sweeper casing and adapted to-produce rotation of the brush when said mechanism is operated.A v f In Fig. 3 it will be noted that the bottom 3 ofthe sweeper is spaced from. the surface ofthe floor and that the bristles of the l' l.brush 8 extend below the bottom 3 as just both a brushing and a rapidv tapping an like it is desirable that said guard be read shaking of that portion of the covering lheld across the opening 5 as described.` l

From the foregoing the importance of a brush guard will be readily apparent and as it sometimes becomes necessary to remove the brush through the opening 5 or to clean the saine and free it from threads vand the ily detachable. l

Referring now more particularly to the brushvopening andguard it will be noted in the drawings that the wheels 6 are mounted in wheelcasings 12, the forward ends 13 of which extend inwardly a short distance from the ends ofthe openin 5 slightly back of the rear edge thereof. 'It will also be noted that the casing 1 in that portion over the brush is curved as at 14 from the horizontal portion 15 to the front vertical portion 16. The horizontal, inwardlyfturned flange 17 extends from side to side of the sweeper along the front edge .of the opening, said vidly fastened to the bar flange providing a ledge upon the interior of the casing. i

The brush guard proper consists of a base bar 18 adapted to extend from end to end of the opening 5 upon the inside thereof, resting upon the ledge formed by the flange 17. At each end of the bar 18 the curved retaining arms 19'are provided, which arms are formed of spring material and are rig- 18. The curvature of the arms 19 is such as to substantially conform to the curvature of the parts 16, 14, 15,I the free ends of "the arms, however, having less curvature, the said arms, being adapted to engage the inner side of the por-l tion 15 and the endsof said arms adapted to engage the forward ends 13 of the wheel cas# ings.

Rigidly connected to the bar 18 on the opposite' side thereof from the arms 19 are the guard'fingers 20 which are formed of spring material and extend backwardv from the bar 18 and at substantially fright angles thereto. v

The method of attachment will be readily l understood from an inspection of Fig 3 where it willpbe seen that the ends of the arms 19 and fingersjQO are introduced into the o "ening 5 and .sprung toward each other a su cient distance to permit the device to enter. The ends of the arms 19, upon strikingthe curved portion 14, will be directed backward along the portion 15 until tlie ends of the arms engage the fronty ends 13 of the wheel casings. It is then necessary to l forcibl push inwardly and forwardly upon the tions of the arms 19 outwardly and nearer to the portions 14 and 16until the bar 18 can be seated upon 'the ledge formed by the flange `17. As the fingers 20 extend from the under side of the bar 18 it is 4necessary to provide notches in the flange 17, as illustrated in dotted lines at 21, to receive the curved portions 22-of the fingers 20. In Fig. 3 it will -be noted that when the guard is yin place in the sweeper the ends of the fingers 20 bear upon the inner side of the bottom 3 along the rear edge of the opening 5 and beingv under tension by reason of having. been sprung closer than normally to the arms 19, said fingers will assistv in producing spring'contact of the arms 19 against the portion 15 of the casing, thus serving to keep the bar 18 firmly in place and prevent 'the loosening of the guard. For the purpose of holding the bar 18 well forward upon the flange 17 the portion 16 thel fingers 20 are upwardly bent near their free ends, the downward pressure of said free ends along the rear edge of the opening 5 thus producing a forward thrust of said fingers sufficient lto maintain the bar 18 in proper-position. v In addition to thus holding the guard in proper position the bent free ends of the fingers 20 ar 18, .springing the middle po'r-l I and in engagement with permit the main portion of said fingers between said bent portion andthe bar 18 to lie in the same planeas the bottom 3, the lower sides of said fingers across the o ening being in a plane with the bottom sur ace. of the said bottom 3.

When it is desired' to remove the guard it is only necessary to graspthe fingers 20 in the hand, press upwardly thereon and backwardly, thus unseating the bar 18 from the flange 17, whereupon saidbar may be drawn out of the opening 5 adjacent the front edge thereof, the arms 19 and fin ers 2O being sprung sufficiently to permit t e guard to be withdrawn by reversing the voperation by which it was inserted.

1. For carpet sweepers of the character described, a brush guard comprising the` vbase bar 18', vthe curved sring-arms 19 rigtosaid ase bar and the sprin fingers l base ar on the opposite side thereof from l the arms 19 and extending at right angles f casing an from the bar 18, substantially as described.

2. For carpet sweepers of the character described, a brush guard comprising a base bar,` spring arms rigidly connected to said base bar, and a plurality of spring fingers rigidly connected to said base bar opposite sald arms.

3. A device of the character described comprising a base bar, curved retainin arms formed of s ring material and rigid y fastened to sai bar'and a plurality of guard fingers formed of spring materlal, rigidly connected to said bar and extending outwardly from said bar at substantially right anglesthereto and opposite said arms, the free ends of said arms and fingers adapted to be temporarily sprung out of their normal position 1nto positions to bring said arms and ngers nearer to each other.

4. A detachable brush guard for carpet sweepers provided with a casing and bottom, a brush opening in the bottom, a brush mounted unon a horizontal axis within said having its bristles protruding through said brush opening and an interior ledge along one edge ofI said brush opening, said brush guard comprisin l a base bar, spring arms rigidly connecte to sald base bar, a plurality of spring guard fingers rigidly connected to sald base bar and exten ing at right angles thereto and 1n line wlth the direction of rotation of sa1d brush, said arms and fingers adapted to be sprung toward each other to permit sald guard to be inserted through said brush openlng, said vbase bar adapted to rest upon saidlnternal led e, said arms adapted to bear aga1nst sai casing to hold said base bar 1n place u on said ledge and said (guard fingers a apted to extend across sai brush opening, the bottom sides of said fingers lyingin substantially the same plane with the lower surface of the bottom of sald sweeper.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name 1n the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES M. SPANGrLER Witnesses:

JOHN H. SPoNsnLLER, WILLIAM H. MmL'nn. 

